Foldable portable imaging devices, such as cellular phones with camera or portable information terminals with camera, have spread through the market.
Various technologies related to such a background are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a foldable portable imaging device that has an optical system utilized to image an object (or subject) and employs a foldable structure in which a key operation main body and a display main body are joined together via a hinge.
More specifically, when the above foldable portable imaging device is held to form an opening and closing angle within a predetermined range between the key operation main body and the display main body which are relatively rotated to each other, an imaging mode of a relevant imaging unit is automatically set to a self-timer mode. Accordingly, self-timer photographing utilizing this foldable portable imaging device can be performed by only holding it to form the opening and closing angle within the predetermined range between the key operation main body and the display main body, and thereby it is possible to omit an operation to select a self-timer mode by using a mode menu of the foldable portable imaging device on each relevant occasion.
In recent years, a digital camera that detects a smiling face and performs a release operation (to perform photographing without pressing the shutter button) has become popular.
Various technologies related to such a background are known (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
As an example, Patent Document 2 discloses an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera capable of capturing still images and videos.
More specifically, data of the face area of a target object, extracted feature points, and set trigger information are obtained. The imaging apparatus has a control unit to detect, based on the obtained information, a facial expression or gesture of the object as a trigger for the release operation from a through image (i.e., an image before pressing the shutter) in a buffer memory. If the imaging apparatus performs photographing in an advanced face mode, the photographing is automatically executed when a facial expression or gesture of the object as the trigger for the release operation is detected from the through image.
Therefore, this imaging apparatus can easily capture a facial expression or gesture of the object, which matches a photographing scene or a photographing mode without effort.
In addition, an information processing device such as a personal computer, a cellular phone, or a television receiver is formed by a display unit, that may be a liquid crystal display, and an input unit that may be a keyboard, buttons, a remote controller, a mouse, or a touch panel for inputting a predetermined operation content or characters.
Various technologies related to such a background are known (see, for example, Patent Document 3).
For example, Patent Document 3 discloses an information processing method performed by utilizing an information processing device that is operable by gesture.
More specifically, an mirror image processing unit is employed to trim an external shape of an image of a gesture target whose shape has been determined, so as to subject the image of the gesture target to a mirror image processing. Then a gesture display control unit displays the gesture target to which the mirror image processing has been applied.
Therefore, according to the imaging device of this method, it is possible to know a gesture starting position of the gesture target with respect to the camera position. Accordingly, the user can learn how to operate the gesture function so as to execute a desired command. In addition, when the gesture function is actually performed by using this imaging device, a corresponding locus is drawn. Therefore, the user can complete the input of the desired command while confirming the gesture accepting status of the apparatus. As a result, this imaging device can remove the user's anxiety for the gesture input.